French Right-Wing Senators Propose New Restrictions on Veil and Ramadan Practices
French Right-Wing Senators Propose New Restrictions on Veil and Ramadan Practices
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French right-wing senators have issued a new report proposing a series of restrictive measures targeting Islamic religious practices, including bans on the wearing of the veil by minors and on Ramadan fasting for children under 16.
The 17-point report by French right-wing senators on banning the vail and Ramadan fasting, published on Tuesday, November 25, is the latest initiative framed as part of France’s ongoing campaign against “Islamist infiltration,” a term critics say is often loosely defined and used to justify curbs on visible expressions of Muslim identity, IQNA reported.
The report was drafted by a Senate working group supported by anthropologist Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, whose views on Islamism have drawn criticism from within the academic community. The authors argue that “Islamist ideology” constitutes a threat to national cohesion and promotes a long-term “separatist project” aimed at reshaping French society along religious lines.
Among the most contentious recommendations is a proposed ban on girls under 16 wearing the veil in public spaces, described in the document as a “banner of sexual apartheid.” The senators also propose prohibiting fasting during Ramadan for minors under 16, invoking child-protection concerns—an idea likely to draw significant opposition from Muslim organizations and civil liberties advocates.
The report further calls for mandatory religious neutrality for elected officials while performing official duties, which would bar them from wearing conspicuous religious symbols. It also urges the swift passage of legislation banning headscarves in sporting competitions and reiterates long-standing proposals to prohibit veiled mothers from accompanying school trips. Laurent Wauquiez, head of the Les Républicains (LR) parliamentary group, has separately submitted a bill seeking to ban headscarves in all public spaces for minors.
Other recommendations focus on tightening oversight of foreign funding for mosques and Muslim associations, despite significant controls already introduced under the 2021 anti-separatism law. The report also calls for conditioning French development aid to countries accused of promoting Islamism, as well as strengthening measures against forced marriages through mandatory pre-marriage interviews conducted by French consular authorities. It proposes transferring visa issuance responsibilities to the Interior Ministry.
The report follows several earlier Senate initiatives on “Islamism,” many of which have been criticized by rights groups and scholars for conflating religious practice with security concerns and for contributing to the stigmatization of France’s Muslim population.
